


Gods and Kings

by gemlad



Category: Odyssey (PD LRP)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-12
Updated: 2014-08-12
Packaged: 2018-02-12 21:52:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2125905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gemlad/pseuds/gemlad
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The priests make a decision that not everyone agrees with. Zuleyka is rather rash and learns the wisdom of holding her tongue. Well, she tries to.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Gods and Kings

**Author's Note:**

> A story about the second annual, my first. It's done from memory as I made no notes, so details might be wrong. If you spot factual details about territories, people or similar, please point them out. The conversations are from my hazy recollections and are true enough for a story :)

I used to be a simple priest. Travelling between the Palmyran oases to perform rites for ordinary people, to whichever gods they followed. Until a fateful day when I met Faraz. He convinced me to heed the call of Atlantis, and I followed him.

Everything was bigger than I expected: the arena, the crowds, the Immortals. The Shahs. I was walking amongst the Shahs. It did not prepare me for the Gods. I dared not cast my gaze upon the gods, but I was in their presence. Asked to bare my soul. Asked to declare my heart. Their voices etched their words into my thoughts. I was awed, and afraid.

Atlantis seemed smaller, the right size again. Meeting the gods had changed my perspective, or maybe I walked taller. Information and politics were buzzing around me. The Shah-en-Shah demands Athens as a holiday home. Xanthos is more strategic. Words from the gods themselves: Darius is not a god yet. All flowing round my mind.

Tigraine, Keeper of the Chariot of Marduk received the battle orders from the Shahs. She invited all the magi into the map room to discuss them. The Shahs had followed the will of Darius - we would attack Athens. I was angry at the Shahs. We had told them the will of the gods. Magus looked to magus, and we realised we had a choice. Gods versus kings. It was a brief but heated discussion. We all started arguing that we should follow the will of the gods. Our voices tailed off as we realised we were saying the same things. All that was left was for Tigraine to meet Marduk, and the rest of us to tell Persia that we had defied the Shah-en-Shah.

We walked united but were soon beset by accusations and arguments. I found myself standing in front of Immortals trying, and failing, to explain calmly. Someone shouted that I had turned traitor to the Shah-en-Shah and I screamed back that only someone like Alexander would put man above the gods. I spat, as is my custom when the Bastard's name is said. I looked up, and further up, feeling the smallest I had ever felt. I had just spat at the feet of Omid of the Eyes of Darius. I thought he would kill me. I thought I deserved it.

In the calm of the following day, Shah Farouq mediated between us. We explained our differences of the heat of the moment, and agreed to put them behind us for the good of Persia. I was to perform a sacrifice on Omid's behalf. As I performed the ceremony, I found myself breathing more freely than I had all annual. Perhaps being a simple priest was my calling.


End file.
